ON 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF SHELBY COUNTY V. HOLDER, STAND UP AMERICA HIGHLIGHTS NEED TO PASS BOTH FEDERAL VOTING RIGHTS LEGISLATION AND THE JUDICIARY ACT TO PROTECT VOTING RIGHTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
JUNE 23, 2023
PRESS CONTACT:
Tracy Adair, [email protected]
WASHINGTON, D.C.—This Sunday marks the 10th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Shelby County v. Holder, which gutted Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This decision removed the crucial preclearance framework from the law, allowing state and local jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination to pass voting laws without federal approval.
Stand Up America’s Executive Director, Christina Harvey, commented on the anniversary:
“Ten years ago, the Roberts Court struck a direct blow to voting rights, dishonoring the sacrifice of civil rights crusaders and opening the floodgates for radical right-wing politicians to create discriminatory barriers to the ballot box. The legacy of Shelby v. Holder is apparent in voter suppression laws that have passed in Georgia, Florida, Texas, and other Republican-led states across the country.
“Voting rights advocates and organizers across the country continue to fight to protect and expand the freedom to vote. Black voters in Alabama won an important legal victory against Alabama’s racist gerrymandered maps. And recent efforts in New Mexico, Minnesota, and Connecticut codify voting rights protections at the state level.
“But voters and state lawmakers cannot do it alone. It’s time for Congress to protect Americans’ freedom to vote and defend that and other freedoms from this hyperpartisan Supreme Court. Our leaders must pass federal voting rights legislation and the Judiciary Act to restore ideological balance to the Court.”
Stand Up America’s nearly two million members across the country have sent nearly 190,000 constituent emails and made nearly 7,000 calls urging their members of Congress to support the Judiciary Act, and have made over 125,000 constituent calls urging Congress to pass federal voting rights legislation.
###
About Stand Up America
Stand Up America is a progressive advocacy organization with nearly two million community members across the country. Focused on grassroots advocacy to stand up to corruption and voter suppression and build a more representative democracy, Stand Up America has driven over 1.7 million calls to lawmakers, registered over 100,000 voters, mobilized thousands of protestors, and contacted tens of millions of voters.
Website: StandUpAmerica.com
Twitter: @StandUpAmerica
Instagram: @StandUp_America
Facebook: @StandUpAmerica